KINGSTON >> Following a state siting board’s decision to bypass the former Nevele hotel in Wawarsing for a casino license, Assemblyman Kevin Cahill is calling on the state Legislature to reconvene immediately and consider his months-old legislation to authorize video lottery terminals at two locations in Ulster County.
“While I do not believe that the establishment of gambling venues is a panacea, the passage of this measure will assure that interested local resorts will be able to diversify their attractiveness as a choice for regional travelers in the face of new competition,” Cahill, D-Kingston, said in a statement emailed to local media.
Cahill’s legislation would allow VLT licenses in Ulster County for two existing resorts and would require community support before being allowed to take effect.
Acknowledging Ulster County’s disappointment in the selection of a Sullivan County site for the only Catskills-Hudson Valley casino license, Cahill said, “It is time to band together as a larger community to help enhance Ulster’s overall tourism outlook.”
Cahill and state Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, first proposed allowing VLTs in Ulster County this past spring, but the Legislature adjourned for the year in late June without taking action.
The bill, under which the VLTs would have been operated by the Catskill Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., was opposed at the time by Ulster County leaders and other local government officials because they feared it could damage the county’s chances of securing a casino license.
Last year, the owners of the Pine Grove Ranch and the Hudson Valley Spa and Resort, both in Kerhonkson, asked Ulster County lawmakers to adopt a resolution calling on the state to allow video lottery terminals at the two resorts. That measure was pulled, however, when it became clear it wouldn’t be approved.
The Cahill-Seward bill would have allowed VLTs in up to two hotels in Ulster County with more than 100 rooms that had been in continuous business for at least three years. The bill did not mention potential host sites but said several locations in Ulster County would qualify. Cahill cited the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz and Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland as examples.
VLTs, essentially electronic slot machines, already are in use at several harness racing tracks in the state.
The state Gaming Facility Location Board this week favored Empire Resorts’ proposal for a casino at the site of the former Concord hotel in the Sullivan County town of Thompson. It rejected the Nevele plan, one other Sullivan County plan and six proposals for Orange County sites.
The board also recommended casino licenses for one site each in Schenectady and Seneca counties.
